Why Being Present in a Youth Group is so Important

For the longest time—and I mean years—I avoided participating in youth group activities with my church. For those who don’t know, a youth group is a church group for middle and high school students. It includes fun activities but also helps teens grow in their faith. I never really had much interest in going. I only went because my parents made me (and not always with the best attitude…).

But this summer, I went on a retreat to Florida with the high schoolers from my church, and it completely changed my perspective.

Ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you—I’m a beach person. It’s one of my favorite places in the world. So when I found out my youth group was going to the beach, there was no way I was turning that down. Four other high school girls went—girls I LOVE—along with a handful of guys and our youth leaders. We drove five hours from Atlanta to Laguna Beach Christian Retreat, just outside of Panama City.

The retreat was hosted by RYM (Reformed Youth Ministries), which I encourage y’all to look into once you’re done reading. My friends and I did so many fun things: swimming at the beach and pool, playing volleyball, even joining a mosh pit on the beach at night. All those moments were amazing, but what stood out most to me were the electives.

Before the trip, we got to choose which electives to attend alongside large group worship and sermons with youth groups from all over the country. My friends and I chose “Designed for Relationships” and “Confidence of Control.” As much as I’d love to go on and on about these classes (and I could), I’ll keep it short to prevent this post from becoming a novel. But y’all—these classes were incredible. They were so encouraging and insightful. I’m beyond grateful that I had the opportunity to learn from such talented speakers.

Reflecting on that week made me realize this is what youth group is about. It’s not just games or Sunday night pizza—it’s about community, truth, growth, and people who genuinely want to walk through life with you. And I had been missing out on that because I hadn’t been open-minded.

So, if you attend a church and haven’t looked into their youth group yet, do it! It could be just the Christian community you need. The youth leaders are there for you—they want to listen, support you, and help you through struggles and triumphs. Don’t wait for a beach trip to say yes to youth group—it might just be where your faith and friendships deepen in ways you never expected.